


Longing for an Eclipse

by EarthGirl



Category: The Shadow (Pulp)
Genre: Angst, Brief mention of guns and corpses, M/M, Meant to be set early in the canon, Mention of canon suicide attempt, Mutual Pining, as their later closeness makes me pretty sure they eventually worked things out
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-02-06
Updated: 2018-02-06
Packaged: 2019-03-14 10:44:58
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,132
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13588428
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/EarthGirl/pseuds/EarthGirl
Summary: Contrary to popular belief, the sun and the moon are not lovers. Even though they wish they were.





	Longing for an Eclipse

It is terrifying to be in The Shadow’s presence.

Most people would agree with that.

His chilling, mocking laugh could freeze the hearts of the bravest creatures on the planet, be they human or another type of beast. His figure is imposing, his movements elegant and precise, and his low, clear voice seems to know no other tone but that of command. His true features are a mystery, as he always keeps them hidden under a broad-brimmed hat that leaves nothing in sight but the fierce, penetrating glow of his eyes. Eyes which, against the dark, smooth fabric of the black clothes always worn by that mysterious master of the night, seem like two lonely stars illuminating an otherwise fully dark night sky. The contours of his body are obscured by his signature long cloak, making him appear more ghost than man. His superhuman intelligence, his ability to occult himself anywhere and to spy on anyone, and the way in which he seems to melt in and out of darkness itself, all contribute to strengthen that illusion. No one knows his real name, or anything about his past; or, if they do, they are not willing to discuss it. As far as public knowledge goes, he truly is a living shadow, as mysterious and unreachable as the moon, without a history, without weaknesses, without any characteristics that make him seem more like a real person than a legend. Very little is known about him, but most who have seen him, or even heard of him, will agree on one point.

It’s terrifying to be around him.

* * *

 

It is soothing to be in Harry Vincent’s presence.

Most people would agree with that.

His sweet, open demeanor makes most strangers feel immediately welcome in his company. His manners are friendly, his smile is frequent, and he approaches life with genuine enthusiasm. Anyone who has not given him reason to dislike or distrust them finds him to be an interested listener, who is always avid to spend time with old friends and make new ones. His good looks, his eagerness to help any who might need him, and the way his smile has of brightening and warming a room as effectively as a ray of sun, make him quite a popular young man. There are some among his many friends who have been with him through situations of peril. These people will always be happy to praise his loyalty, bravery, and the protective instinct he displayed towards others (although some will also despairingly lament his utter lack of that same instinct towards himself.) His reputation, therefore, contributes as much as his appearance and manners to make him a most desirable companion. Many people have had conversations about him, and, apart from the master criminals who’ve been unlucky enough to face him and his master, all agree on one point.

It’s soothing to be around him.

* * *

 

“Drop your weapons! Drop them right now!”

Surrounded by armed mooks, Harry Vincent and Clyde Burke had no choice but to obey. Their guns hit the floor with a thumping noise, and the gangster standing closest to them sneered as he kicked the weapons away. The situation was dire.

Then suddenly, a mocking laugh echoed out of nowhere, and Harry’s tensed muscles instantly relaxed.

Ever since he could remember, he had always been fascinated by the night. As a child, he had loved to spend his days playing under the sun. But staring out of his window at the dark sky at late hours had always brought him a strange sense of peace that he could not quite define, nor find in anything else. They had the real night sky, back in his tiny hometown. The moon and the stars were clearly visible most nights. They were beautiful, powerful, mysterious, and always seemed to hold him enchanted, making him forget about the rest of the world as he lost himself in their contemplation. And when the sky was clouded, then there was true darkness. It surrounded him, enveloped him, bringing him a sense of complete safety that he did not know in any other moment.

His first years in New York had not been kind to him, and the constant presence of uncomfortably bright artificial lights that drowned out the beauty of the night had not helped. Not long after his arrival he had believed his old sense of peace and safety lost to him forever, as so many other aspects of his life at home. And strangely enough, it had been just when life had truly become unbearable, when he had truly and utterly given up, that he found it again.

A lithe form that contained surprising strength. A chilling voice that simultaneously ignited his nerves and relaxed them. Beautiful, elegant, delicate hands that often delivered death with the same dexterity with which they had once saved Harry from it. Uncanny abilities at any skill that could possibly be imagined, and even at some that could not. His new boss was a perfect representation of the night he reigned over, somehow containing in a single human figure all of the beauty, mystery, power, and fascination of a dark sky.

Harry’s heart had never stood a chance.

It often occurred to him that he ought to be ashamed of his feelings. How dare he be unsatisfied with all that he had been given? How dare he wish for more? It felt wrong to have desires of that sort for someone so secretive and distant as his chief was. The Shadow valued his privacy highly, and Harry would always respect that. He would rather die than commit any action that might displease his boss or make him uncomfortable.

But still, his dreams insisted on taking a romantic route, and he could do nothing to stop them. Isn’t it human to reach for the moon?

Long ago, humanity had believed the moon to be a deity. The discovery that that belief was incorrect had not caused anyone’s breath to no longer be taken away by the sight of the wondrous globe dominating the night sky. Nor did anyone fear that a possible future landing at the moon might strip the enigmatic satellite of its charms. And in the exact same vein, it would never occur to Harry to fear that he might be disappointed or fall out of love should he ever become intimate with The Shadow. Were those slender fingers to slip between his, that chilling voice to softly whisper “ _mine_ ” against his ear, were he to be wrapped in the comforting safety of that cloak, and learn who the man who wore it was, what he looked like, where he had come from, and how and why his life had turned the fantastic way it had, nothing would change what mattered the most. His master would still remain The Shadow. If anything, his story and his private personality would be so fascinating and unique that each detail Harry discovered would only cause him to be more enthralled.

(Sometimes, when Harry was nearly asleep, an additional thought, too daring and too bold for waking hours, made itself known: That perhaps, if he were to discover that The Shadow’s life was indeed cold and lonely, as most speculated it was, he might be able to bring some warmth to it.

That particular notion always made Harry hate himself for his presumption. Should The Shadow ever wish for a romantic entanglement, Harry had no doubts that he would be able to choose from nearly anyone in the world. It was delusional to think that he might ever look Harry’s way.)

But it did not matter. Those were idle fantasies. Harry would never act on those secret desires. He knew perfectly well that the blessed darkness that would be The Shadow’s embrace was out of his reach.

But it called to him. Oh, how it called to him.

It is terrifying to be in The Shadow’s presence.

Not everyone would agree with that.

* * *

 

The fight was over. The Shadow’s latest enemy lay dead on the floor, surrounded by the bodies of several members of his gang. Those who had survived the chaos of the battle were already being taken by Inspector Cardona. The case was closed. Surveying the scene from atop the roof, The Shadow laughed in triumph. The mocking sound echoed through the building, cementing his victory, announcing it to the world…

From the street below, a sweet, relieved laugh sounded in response, and at the sound of if he felt his heartbeat increase its rhythm. Darting for the darkness of the stairs, he disappeared from the scene as quickly as he could.

He had never understood what other people saw in the sun. He did not exactly dislike daytime, but he had always felt more at ease during the night. Even as a child, he had been quite talented in many aspects. But developing close relationships had not been one of them. He was good at reading people, but he felt uncomfortable letting anyone in, except for very select few. He had always been considered secretive, valuing his privacy and personal space in ways he knew seemed strange to others. Sunlight made him feel exposed. He preferred the easiness with which he could disappear into the night.

Then Harry Vincent came into his life.

All of a sudden, the attraction of the sun had become clear to him. The warmth of his agent’s smile, the sweet brightness of his eyes, and above all, the tenderness of his personality, struck The Shadow in a way that confused and bewildered him.  He found himself wishing to be closer to Harry, to act with him in ways he had never wished to act with anyone before, to drown in the light that seemed to exhale from him…

But he could not. His strength lay in his secrets. His safety, and that of so many others, depended on him remaining as mysterious as he had always been. Of course, Harry was the most loyal soul in the world, and there were no secrets he could not be trusted to keep… But to reveal to him anything more than the little he already knew would be to endanger him recklessly.

It would be to endanger both of them. For if he were to open up to someone new, to allow himself to grow accustomed to proximity, warmth, tenderness… How could he tell whether he would be able to continue to guard his best kept, most dangerous secrets, and to thrive in the loneliness that his vigilantism required? The thought made him shiver. He had often been compared to a vampire. Was it so strange that the sun had a fearsome effect upon him?

But his fear of what a closer relationship between them might do to himself was nothing compared to that of what it might do to Harry.

The sun shone intensely, unreservedly. It revealed itself in its entirety, day after day, bringing happiness to others and asking for nothing in return. And with that same intensity, Harry Vincent had given himself to The Shadow. The young agent had donated himself fully, unconditionally, and no matter what he desired, he would never dream of asking for more than his master offered him.

The Shadow did not feel worthy of such a gift. He knew himself too well. Even if he could work through most of his reservations, even if he could find a relatively safe way to engage in a romance, there would still be things that, by his very nature, he would be unable to give Harry. Simple things, like the freedom to spend time together without risk of the date being interrupted by a mission, an invitation for Harry to visit the Sanctum where he spent most of his private moments, or even the sound of three very important words…

Harry would never ask for those things, but The Shadow knew that he desired them, and deserved them. He deserved so much more than The Shadow could give him. The risk of intimacy between them resulting in Harry feeling unappreciated, perhaps even falling back into a melancholy similar to that which had seized him at the time of their first meeting, was too large. The Shadow could not take it, could not take any chances of causing that sort of harm to someone who was so kind, so warm and so bright, and who he…

He fought to put those thoughts away from his mind. They served no purpose. He knew perfectly well that the sweet light that would be Harry Vincent’s embrace was out of his reach.

But it called to him. Oh, how it called to him.

It is soothing to be in Harry Vincent’s presence.

Not everyone would agree with that.


End file.
